Earth & Fire
by ProbablySatan
Summary: "You are Earth and fire, Leah. You're force of nature, I can promise you that. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not worth it because they are lying. You are worth this entire world and I can't believe I'm the first to tell you." Leah/Benjamin crackship. Imprint fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Earth and Fire**

**1**

Bitter.

That's what they call her now. She guesses that it's better than 'bitch,' but every now and then that word gets thrown around in moments of anger and frustration towards her.

Okay, that word still gets thrown around a lot, but for the most part, she's bitter.

She doesn't think that that is much of a problem. What _doesn't _she have to be bitter about? Her life sucks, everyone knows it. Even the civilians. They see her walk past in her sports bra and short hair and wrinkle their noses. She's just that one bitter girl. Used to be _so beautiful_, _so smart._

Leah sighs heavily and stares out her window at sleepy Lapush. Her home, her very own private hell. It's never really been very special...unless you count giant mutant wolves running around through the trees. It's more of a wasteland to her...trapping her and filling her with bad memories.

She draws a sad face into the foggy window, watching the rain cascade down the glass. Man her life sucks. A wolf's howl distracts her from any further misery and she releases and aggravated groan. Sam's howl. She grimaces in vain. After all the leeches started entering Forks like a goddamn vampire census for Queen Bella and her mutant spawn, Jacob tossed her, Embry, and Seth to the dogs (haha get it) to Sam to follow him. What a jerk.

It's not that she _wants _to be around the bloodsuckers, but she'd much rather have Jake in her head than Sam Uley. She's already had enough of him for two lives, she's still not ready to go back. But then again, Jake isn't that great either; with that demon spawn he's imprinted on, he's almost _worse_ than Sam. Almost. And the thing is, she trusted Jacob, he understood what she went through, unrequited love and no imprint. But he turned out to be like everyone else.

Sucks.

Leah stands and puts her shoulder length hair-now way too long-in the shittiest ponytail she's ever seen. She's not trying to impress anyone. She jogs out her house, half naked, and walks down the street of her neighborhood, her midriff exposed for all to see. Her neighbors are always wondering if she's crazy, exposing her stomach in thirty degree weather and walking barefoot through the town. They never say anything about the boys.

She could phase, but she thinks she'll continue walking into she reaches the cliffs. Sam's howl reaches her ears and she flinches as if she's mentally conditioned herself to have this reaction whenever she hears him. She probably has, whenever she hears his howl, she hears his bullshit seconds later. He howls once more and Leah puffs out her cheeks, annoyed. What an impatient asshole.

Leah reaches the cliffs and phases right when he bare feet touch the earth. She feels a rush and all of a sudden she feels like her head is exploding.

It's nothing outside the norm. All the wolves thoughts are exploding around her at once. Seth says that it doesn't feel as bad as she says it does, but to her it feels like pressure behind her eyes and ears. Half of them don't even know how to shield their stupid thoughts and the other half just don't care. The worst thing, she thinks, is when one of them thinks about their tiny penis and how they can't wait to stick it in some girl. Leah has to roll her eyes, the only thing that the girl will get out of that is disappointment.

Their thoughts bubble around her and Leah is already annoyed. Tidbits of pictures and memories flash around in her head and she kind of wants to die. Jesus how does that bloodsucker do this all day?

_Glad you could finally join us_, Sam says to her directly. She ignores him and walks around trees, taking her sweet ass time to get to wherever Sam and the rest of them are.

_Mhm_. She answers. _The pleasure is all yours. _She adds.

Kiss my ass.

_I'm not in the mood_, Sam says back. She can see his jaw clenching from the other wolves' eyes. She smirks.

_I don't believe I asked. _She retorts without blinking. She enters the clearing and watches the rest of the pack bristle at her sudden appearance. Jared and Paul glare at her and she cocks her head at Sam's treasured lackies. _Bitches_.

Sam growls deep in his throat. The younger wolves cower in fear as their fearless leader gets angry. He makes a big show of getting in Leah's face, his black fur standing on end. _Leah you're not with Jacob anymore. You can't just say what you want around me._

_Sorry, I thought I had shielded all of my thoughts. I didn't mean to reply, actually. In fact, I didn't mean to phase at all. What exactly am I doing here? _Leah mocks. She licks her paw and side eyes him as he fumes.

Sam snaps his jaw at her, but she knows he won't do anything. He still feels guilty and Emily would kill him. Fuck Sam and fuck Emily too. _You're going to be patrolling till next week if you keep it up._

She yawns in his face, watching him get angry all over again. A year ago, she might've cursed at him, might've tried to main him too, but now it's not worth it. Sam isn't worth much at all anymore.

_Pms-ing, Leah? You're bitchier than usual. _Paul chides, circling her when Sam walks away.

Leah just swipes her paw at him a few times before rolling her eyes. _It's cause I have to deal with your ass now._

_It's not like anyone wants your stale ass around anyway. _The male replies

Leah growls at him, the sound echoing through the forest _Eat a dick, Pauly._

_Leah and Paul, shut _up. Sam says, his eyes glaring holes through Leah's skull. _I need to talk about all the vampires entering Forks. _The she-wolf has to roll her eyes as Sam begins his boring as hell mantra about things she already knows. Things that they _all_ already know.

He describes the vampires she's already seen and the problems she already knows as well as Jacob and his imprintee, the demon spawn everyone already heard about.

He's just talking about useless shit. Leah nudges her head into the ground and damns him to the deepest pit of hell.

_Leah_, Sam sighs through their bond. _If you don't have anything positive to say don't bother._

_Alright, cool we'll I'm outy._ She stands on all fours and stretches her back legs, Seth whines at her from across the clearing, wanting her to be obedient, for her sake.

_Leah you patrol until sundown for the next week. You gained that yourself._

_Can't I have to work. _She says flippantly, licking her paw.

_Just shut up_, Jared complains from Sam's right, _it was an _order _just do it._

_Who put you in charge, captain kiss-ass? _She glares, she could take Jared just fine despite being the smallest wolf in the pack. She could take all of them if she really wanted to

_Leah! You will be quiet and do as I say. _Sam says finally, in that asshole type of way that makes you want to hit him.

Seth whines at her again as Paul utters the word bitch and she clenches her jaw. Her claws dig into the dirt before she turns around, bumping Paul rudely, and sprints away. Since she has to patrol she won't be rid of their voices for a while, but at least she won't have to look at them anymore.

She runs their perimeter of their land a couple times while sort-of listening to Sam drone on about safety and what-not. Leah rolls her eyes internally, all she wants to do is eat, surf the internet, and sleep. But these bastards keep depriving her of her 'me time.'

Eventually, the other wolves' voices fade from her head and she's left with the silence of her own thoughts. She exhales, and continues to jog the perimeter. The earth smells fresh and alive, it's the only thing she likes about this whole wolf thing. She feels a stronger connection with the earth, how it smells, how it sounds, how it feels when she runs across fields of grass and plains of dirt. She takes a deep breath and lets the elements wash over. After running the land two more times, she heads towards the cliffs.

She dips her nose to the ground and paws her head from annoyance. She's amazed that she can be a bitch literally and figuratively. It must be another one of God's jokes on her. He must have a thing for irony.

She stiffens when she feels another presence come over her. Someone who's just phased. She kicks the dirt irritably, her moment of complete silence ruined.

_Leah._

_Oh it's you. _Leah growls to Sam. She sees him wandering by the forest by his house through his vision. Leah stifles a flow of derogatory words and shuffles over to the cliffs overlooking the sea. Salt overwhelms her senses, the smell is almost so loud it washes away Sam's thoughts.

_Leah, I don't want us to fight anymore._

Leah huffs and flops onto her stomach for the second time that day. She stares over the water, the gorgeous blues and greens and duly hinted purples assault her eyes. It's gorgeous, really. It's the only thing that makes the Rez not so terrible. There's a whole world behind that sea, one day Leah will ride the waves to freedom.

One day.

_You're back in my pack, but I don't want things to be the way they were. Your attitude today was unacceptable, but I'll take it today. Leah you really-_

Sam's voice is drowned out by the crashing waves against jagged rocks. Some water splashes up to spray a cool mist over Leah's fur and giving her too-hot body a refreshing feel. Sam continues as if he doesn't notice the female wolf's far away thoughts.

_Sam, I don't care._ Leah finally replies. She doesn't want to be here. She doesn't want to be in Sam's pack. But she doesn't want to be with Jake's (nonexistent) one either. She just wants to be _left alone._

Like, forever.

_C'mon Leah, I'm trying to make amends. What do you want? To be in charge of the new wolves?_

Leah scoffs, _Please. I would never chose to do that._

_Leah, I want us to be friends again._

_Not going to happen, Sam. _Leah licks her palm to distract herself from the storm clouds crashing in her head. She could never be friends with Sam. Being within two inches made her heart ache and clench for him, he's become the ultimate enemy. Her used to be knight-in-shining-armor has turned into a two headed monster, a demon of the worst kind.

_Lee-Lee, I-_

Leah's head snaps up so fast it hurt. _Don't call me that, Sam. I'm not in the fucking mood. I _don't _want to be your friend. I _don't _want to help the new wolves, and I _don't _even want to be here right now. Leave me the fuck alone. _Leah lifts herself and stretches before releasing a snarl. She can feel Sam huffing and phasing out as she runs the perimeter again, thoughts of freedom are lost with the wind.

It's a beautiful thought, and she leaves it at that.

-:- -:- -:-

" I can't do this," Leah swears to no one as she rushes out of Sam Uley's house like it had caught fire.

The meeting itself wasn't the issue. Although it was stupid as hell (because Sam lead it) it wasn't _terrible_, it was just the rest of them that made it unbearable. Paul and Jared hate her guts, which is fine by her, but they can be more _quiet _ about it. The youngers wolves Brady, Colin, and the other two she never cared to learn the names of, have decided that they dislike her too, mostly from her intimidating glares and harsh language.

And then there are the imprintees. They're all like those annoying damsels in distress, waiting for a hero. They also bake and gossip and shit. Leah can tolerate her childhood friend, Rachel, but she's in love with that idiot Paul and Leah's respect for her has diminished to a very sad number.

But mostly, she just leaves because Emily is pregnant.

To her, it's unbelievably petty and annoying that she's upset about it. Leah is too strong for this, she's too strong , and she doesn't care. _She doesn't care. _She has already convinced herself that she doesn't care about _Sam_ or _Emily_ or the fact that her broken heart is crumbling from the loneliness and that her thoughts are consumed by the bitterness.

She feels moisture build around her eyes and swipes her arms across her face furiously. She wants to be happy for them, honestly. But she wants two different things that can never happen.

She wants Sam. She wants to be _his._ She wants to be his everything like she used to be. She wants to fold into his arms, and play with his hair, and kiss him good morning. She wants to make fun of him daily and read him the bad jokes in the paper every morning like they used to.

She wants to be Emily's best friend again. She wants to go to her wedding and be her maid of honor and tell her how beautiful she looks. She wants to fawn over baby clothes and giggle over the gender and all the names to choose from. She wants to be the godmother to Emily's children and spoil them rotten.

She wants them both in her life, but not in this way.

God, not in this way. She never wanted this, she's only ever wanted to be happy.

Why is this so hard for her to be happy?

Her clothes shred as she phases, glad for a quiet, if only for a little while. Her legs are pumping, sprinting to get away for just a second. She is trapped and it kills her.

She is alone and it kills her.

She cannot stay there anymore, it will surely kill her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Earth&Fire**

**2**

That night, she has nightmares and no one is there to console her when she awakes. Sue doesn't even live there anymore, as she's moved in with Charlie. Seth is usually there with her, crashing wherever he can get a bite to eat. Leah has never really minded. When her mom left her the house in Lapush, she was ecstatic. Now she's just lonely.

Leah jumps out of bed without a second thought. She can see the sun hasn't even risen yet and grimaces.

Leah stalks out of the house without even bothering to get dressed. She phases the second her feet touch the ground and doesn't even bother checking to see who's there with her. She's bounding towards the Cullen estate without a second thought.

She runs along the coast of the beach, kicking up sand and water and enjoying the smell of salt before the sugary sweet scent of the leches invade her nostrils and makes it hard to think.

She can see the sun rising just past the cliffs and wonders if she should stop to look at it for a while. She decides against it though, and continues her long trek to where she'd never willingly trespass.

She finds herself nearing Cullen land and pretends to be made of steel. She needs to be unbreakable. Her nose wrinkles in response to the vampires residing there and she grimaces. All she wants to do is speak with Jacob. She wants to rejoin his pack.

As she shuffles towards the house in her wolf form, she looks for clothes left behind from when the leech lover was pregnant. She doesn't want to get too close to the house, but she can't just walk up there naked. She also can't stay in wolf form for too long or Sam's pack will be notified of her absence.

She sniffs around the ground for a while before giving up and shoving her pride aside. _Okay Edwardo. I know you can hear me. Can you please bring me some fuckin' clothes already?_

Edward appears faster than she can blink, a smirk ever present on his lips. His scent is the grossest of all the vamps; so sugary that she thinks she'll never wanna digest sugar ever again.

"A pleasure as always, Leah." Edwards says, still smirking at her. She just growls at him.

_Whatever, Eddie. _Leah is all out of sarcastic comments and jibes to give the mind-reader. She's just so tired. _Can you just get Jake for me or something?_

"I suppose I can do that," The parasite answers. He tosses Leah some nasty smelling clothes, probably from the bitchy blonde since Alice had disappeared. "Meet him in the backyard."

Leah huffs. Like she wants to walk onto a Leech infested property full of human blood drinkers. She paws her face annoyed when she realizes that she'll have to get used to it if Jacob accepts her offer.

She quickly changes back into a human, and puts on the pair of black leggings and oversized hoodie Edward had left her. The sweatshirt even has a paw print on it. _Haha, very funny, Edwardo._ She rolls her eyes and starts towards the backyard.

Her back stiffens immediately and all her nightmares come back to her in a rush. Vampires are unnatural. Their skin has no hint of life, it is not browned and soft like a humans; like the earth. She clenches her teeth as she feels their gazes on her. They're staring and she knows it. She feels a dozen pair of eyes on her and wants to sink into the earth.

The female wolf attempts to keep her back straight and head up and heads straight over to Jake, holding the mutant child in his arms.

"Leah?!" Jake turns to her, alarmed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Gee, thanks for the warm welcome Jake."

"It's not that I'm not happy that you're here but..." Jacob looks around, glancing at the vampires sending Leah cautious looks. He lowers his head, "It's not really the best environment over here."

"Yeah, I noticed." She feels shivers run up her spine from all the vampire glares on her unprotected back. Her heart does flip flops in her chest. "But...it's better here."

"Huh?" Jacob sets the little demon spawn onto the ground and tells her to go to Bella. "Leah, what exactly do you want?"

Leah shakes her head and grabs Jacob's meaty arm, dragging him over to the side. "Jake...I need to join your pack."

"There's not _pack_. It's just me. _Just me._" The Black replies, his eyebrows scrunch together and a whole lot of bullshit sprouts from his lips, "You know with all these vampires it's dangerous and-"

"Jacob, I just need _one_ favor. I won't get in your way, I just-" She takes a deep breath. She doesn't want to think about Sam or Emily or _anyone_ at the moment. She can't have a breakdown in front of Jacob. "I _can't_ go back, you have to-" She cuts herself off. She sounds whiny and she hates herself for it. She runs her hand through silky black hair and rubs her forehead. She can't do this. She can't do anything.

"I don't want you here with all these vampires, you know?" His voice lowers and octave. " I'm protecting you. Plus you don't even like them, Leah. You being with Sam is the best option there is. He needs more help than I do anyway..." Jacob scratches his head and gives her a half smile. "Just stay with Sam for a little while...okay?"

She just _can't can't can't_ go back to Sam. She _can't. _Her reason for wanting to stay with Jacob is selfish, but his reason for denying her is just as so..

She just can't do anything. She'll break down. She'll disappear. She almost crumbles in front of Jacob, in front of all of the bloodsuckers. She almost bites her lip off and let the water flow freely down her face. She digs her fingers into her palms and deals with it. _Shut the fuck up, Leah, and get over it. Jake doesn't want me either. and it's fine. I'm okay, I'm fine. I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. It doesn't bother me, I won't let it bother me. I'm fine. I'm fine, fine, fine._

Jacob must notice something in her face because his eyes widen. He sees the great Leah Clearwater break a little more, and her eyes become more empty. She shakes and quakes like an angry Earth and turns away from him just as he's reaching for her.

The bloodsuckers stare.

She keeps walking. Then she's sprinting. And she won't phase because she doesn't want anyone to read her thoughts. She won't phase, as much as she wants to run through the woods on all fours, she can't. Her self control is slipping, but she won't fucking phase. If she has to stay with Sam, she will never phase again, and give up a part of her that connects them all.

She's running, and before she knows it, she's on the ground, staring at the pinkened sky and wishing to die more than she ever has before. She has knocked into piece of glistening porcelain, with eyes as red as the blood in her veins.

One of them growls at her, a sound played in her nightmares over and over. She sees olive skin in her peripheral vision and wonders if not all vampires are made of pure white marble.

"Amun," A quiet voice breaks through all the growling, "It's fine. It's my fault, really. I'm sure she meant no harm."

The voice is like the wind. It passes through her like summer, warm and engulfing. It touches her in places she never thought a voice could. How dare a vampire's voice mimic the Earth so beautifully? How dare it pretend to be the wind? How dare it kiss her skin just like the rain has?

This vampire must be more dangerous than the rest. One that can mimic the earth so easily cannot be safe. Vampires are unnatural; they contrast what is genuine and real. For him to mimic it that effortlessly, he must be dangerous.

"I'm sorry I ran into you, miss...?" The voice trails off, not knowing her name.

"Leah," She utters, eyes still closed. She doesn't know why she's answered; it's like his voice has compelled her to.

"...Leah." The soft voice continues, Leah get shivers for reasons she cannot fathom. "I'm Benjamin."

As if the voice has asked her to, she opens her eyes. When she does, she sees red. Piercing, unnatural red. A strangled scream makes it's way up her throat but she silences it. Leah's breath catches in her throat but her eyes can't leave his. She can barely take in brown skin and dark hair, let alone how _long_ his eyelashes are. All she knows is that she feels like the ocean has just washed over her skin and the moon is dragging her in deeper, like she is the tide. She feels as if she was just jerked off of the earth and thrown into the stars. Orion is in her line of sight and the galaxy is spread _through_ her. And then she sees the sun. The sun is _through her_ and then it's _in_ her-and for a second she _is_ the sun...and then... and then the sun is above her. Next to her. Leaning over her. The sun has become those red eyes. The sun is looking down at her.

The sun is pulling towards her toward him; the leech, and suddenly, she's so so afraid. All she can think is _Oh shit Oh shit_ and everything goes black.

**AN. hello readers, I actually forgot to do an authors note on the last chapter...whoops. Um I really don't know how often I'll be updating because as of right now I don't even have a plot chart...hehe**

**Anyway, thanks for the feedback so far! Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Earth & Fire**

**Chapter 3**

"...Leah." Benjamin tastes her name on his lips, "I'm Benjamin."

He looks down at her filled with curiosity. She still hasn't gotten up, for some reason, and he wonders if she ran into him hard enough to break a bone. He doubts it though, she resembles the other wolf, Jacob, and they are almost made of steel. Something just a little lighter than what vampires are made of.

And then her eyes snap open, wild and full of emotion. He is hit with her gaze, and marvels at the intensity behind her eyes, at how it reminds him of himself before he was trapped in this marble body. Her eyes widen at his proximity and he can feel the terror she feels. Benjamin backs up but can't look away. It appears that she cannot either; her gaze holds him with an iron grip and all he can think of is how brown her eyes are. How they remind him of someone he had known many many years ago. How those eyes could hold him there forever like they had whole worlds in them. Her eyes are copper and honey, the perfect shade of brown the Earth wears.

Who is this girl who has eyes just like _her_? Just like the eyes she had many many years ago. Benjamin knows that no other girl could hold galaxies behind her gaze like she once had. So who is this girl who dares to mimic her stare?

Benjamin is entranced; he is trapped in her gaze.

And just like that, the moment is over. Tia kneels beside him and puts a hand on his shoulder. He jerks at her touch but smiles. "Ben, I think she passed out."

He turns his eyes back to the wolf, frowning when he notices that she's paled and become unresponsive. He had wanted to talk to her... wanted to ask what was hurting her so bad that her eyes swam with misery...that they glowed with sadness. He shakes his head and picks her up with one easy sweep. She is warm in his grip; warmer than any vampire or human's touch. "Shall we take her to Carlisle?"

Tia peers at her from beside her mate, "How can you pick her up when she smells like that?" She masks her disgust politely and stares at Leah's face, full of curiosity.

"We don't smell that great to her either," Benjamin reminds her. He won't admit that Leah does not smell bad at all. She smells like sage and honey and the embers of a fire. She smells just like _her_.

"Put her down before the smell sticks to you," Amun suggests, waving a hand. Benjamin just ignores him, he's used to the old man nagging and moaning about almost everything under the sun.

But Amun just keeps going. He stalks away and pulls the other wolf towards them, Jacob. Amun gestures to the woman in his arms, "Does this belong to you?"

"I thought we were taking her to Carlisle-" Tia starts but pauses when she sees the look on Jacob's face.

"Leah!" The wolf boy immediately takes Leah from Benjamin's arms. Benjamin's feels a sudden loss of heat and wonders why the simple action has caused him to be so tense.

"What happened to her?" The edge in Jacob's voice causes Ben to look up at him, lips parted in surprise. A fire in Jacob's eyes cause Ben to be alert and Amun stiffens.

"She bumped into Ben and passed out," Tia explains gently, looking on with concern. Her hand press into Benjamin's palm to try and calm him down.

Benjamin's eyes dart from the unconscious girl in Jacob's arms to his face. Jacob tightens his grip on her and the vampire is suddenly uncomfortable. He watches him walk in the opposite direction, whispering a few words to Bella and her daughter before walking in the opposite direction of the Cullen house.

"Shouldn't you take her to Carlisle?" Benjamin calls. Tia nods beside him, concerned.

Jacob looks him up and down before smirking, "No. She wouldn't like that too much. Something about the smell." He disappears in the trees without another word.

"What was that all about?" Tia wonders aloud, but Benjamin doesn't know. All he knows is that the female wolf reminds him of times that are best left unremembered.

But even as he thinks that, he is filled with curiosity.

-:- -:- -:-

"Hey Jake," Charlie opens his door with a grin, "What's up-" He goes to bring the man into a hug but spots Leah in his arms, "Let's get her on the couch, alright?"

Jacob nods and gently drops Leah on the couch. He sits on the edge rubbing his head. Leah just doesn't _pass_ _out._ It's _weird._ He thinks of the look on her face just before she walked away from him; almost...hopeless, and broken.

He looks over her again, worry etching across his features. Leah has become something like his best friend. He can no longer imagine life without her. He doesn't want her to be in any pain, and maybe that's what he's put her through. He denied her her right to rejoin his pack-for selfish reason. He just wanted his thoughts to himself for a while, he selfishly ignored Leah's pain too.

"-Sue," Charlie calls upstairs for his wife. The newlywed stage is always the best, and it shows on Charlie's face. Jacob's just happy that the man has finally found some peace.

Sue bounds down the stairs to see an unconscious Leah. She gasps and turns to Jacob, "What happened?"

Jacob allows his shoulders to rise and fall in a half hearted shrug, "Not sure. She was fine and then she just...passed out."

Sue frowns heavily; this is very strange, even for Leah. She busies herself with accommodating her daughter while Jacob and Charlie look worriedly over her shoulder.

-:- -:- -:-

Everything comes into focus slowly and then all at once.

Her wolf is strong. She is taking in every detail at an alarming rate; as if in danger. Leah smells fifty different things before her human self can even try to identify which is which. She can hear water running from somewhere in the house, the hard-wood floors creaking under someone's weight, and the whispers from one floor above. She can feel every single hair on the scratchy blanket and every caress of the fabric on her skin.

"Ugh." She leans over, clutching her head. With all these sensations happening at once (in her human form no less) her brain feels as if it is self-destructing. She can usually deal with this by amplifying and decreasing certain senses throughout the day, but now it's like her wolf is screaming for help.

It probably is.

She's imprinted, after all.

Has she? It can't be possible. According to the legends and theories of the elders, wolves imprint on women who will produce the strongest offspring for the pack. Others argue that imprints are soul mates; made to complete the wolf and give him a reason to protect the pack with fierce determination.

Neither theory makes sense for Leah. For one, Leah cannot have children, she's sure of this. She hasn't gotten her period since she's changed into this goddamn thing. She doesn't even want to think about the fact that _vampires_ are able to produce life and she can't.

How fucked up- how _fucking _fucked up- this whole thing is.

Leah closes her eyes. She and that bloodsucker aren't soul mates either. They're mortal enemies. So that other theory is complete _garbage._ The only possible explanation she has for this whole ordeal is that God hates her a lot. She doesn't know what the hell she's ever done to that guy, but he has it out for her.

But was the imprint really real? Sure; there were fireworks and stars in her eyes but now? Now there's nothing. She's supposed to feel longing or _something_. She's not supposed to despise him as much as she does now...that's not how imprints are supposed to work.

Leah sighs again, maybe she hadn't...maybe it was all just a dream.

A nightmare.

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys! Don't forget to do it again. Haha**

**I've finally decided on a plot for this c: It's gonna be pretty different (like this pairing) haha I'm excited.**

**(and yes Leah's wolf being 'strong' is significant. Actually everything is significant, ok bye.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Earth & Fire**

**Chapter 4**

Her wolf is still strong, annoyingly enough, and it alerts her of his presence before he does.

Leah's eyes follow him, staring at him blandly as he approaches her with two big roast beef sandwiches in hand. He awkwardly lowers himself down onto Charlie's glass coffee table and attempts a smile.

"Hey," Jacob begins pleasantly as he can.

"Hey." Leah responds without even blinking. She reaches over and takes the plate of sandwiches out of his hands without breaking eye contact.

"One of those was..." He cuts himself off when Leah licks them both and takes a bite out of the first one. "Okay." Jacob sighs and wipes his hands on his jeans. "I mean...I wasn't really hungry anyways..."

"Good," Leah responds while picking off the tomatoes and putting them back on the plate. "You can have those, though." She takes another bite before pausing to sit back against the comfort of the couch. She raises a nicely arched eyebrow, "Did you want something, Black?"

Jacob winces at her smoldering glare, wondering if there is any way he can make it out of Charlie's house without his stepdaughter violently murdering him.

He gulps as her glare intensifies when he doesn't answer.

Probably not.

"Leah," Jacob starts, "You know I love you, right?"

He casts her a hopeful look but she only snorts so hard he thinks she's stopped breathing for a second. Jake looks only a little offended, "I do, I swear!"

"So?" This means absolutely nothing to Leah. Jacob might not know that, but it doesn't matter. What is his 'love' doing for her? Nothing.

"So?" Jacob deflates even more, if possible. "So...you're my best friend, I feel bad for earlier."

Leah tries to stop herself from snorting again. He should feel bad.

"It was selfish of me," He continues "And I didn't consider your feelings at all."

Leah just looks at him and takes another bite of his sandwich, "So?"

Jacob sighs, planting a large hand on the coffee table under him. "So..you can join me. _Just_ you though, no Seth, not even Embry. Just you."

Leah shrugs, trying to stop her lips from pulling into a smile at her small victory. Instead, she nods at him, hoping that he can read the thanks in her eyes.

"There are conditions though," Jacob raises a finger as if silencing her. "Sorry Lee, but you don't get off easy."

"Number one," He gulps again, Leah is really going to hate him for this one. "You're going to have to tell Sam you're leaving. I can't do that for you...and I don't really want more tension with him again."

Her spirit plummets into the ground. Leah throws the plate at him, "Asshole."

"Call me that _after_ you hear all of the conditions."

-:- -:- -:-

It's only been a day but it feels like its been weeks since she left Lapush. The place does that to you; makes time slow down when you're there and speed up when you're not.

She phases when she steps onto Lapush land and is immediately grateful when there are no random bursts of thoughts and emotions bubbling around her in a flurry of noise headaches. It had been so hard trying to figure out her emotions when she didn't even know which ones were hers in the first place.

Jacob has let her back in and now her time as a wolf is met with blissful silence. She can finally enjoy being in this form without the incessant hum of the others; she can finally take in nature without the pressure behind her eyes.

As she continue to pad across the cliffs, she thinks about the pack and how they must be unaware of her shift in alliance. Sam probably doesn't know yet even though she's technically supposed to be patrolling right now.

After a few more minutes of running, she comes to the front of Sam's house. She is more than annoyed at Jacob's list of rules. Most of them are ways to get her to be civil to Bella's undead family. Like, he wants her to eat Martha Stewart's meals every day, ("C'mon, Esme's cookies are _really_ good, I promise!") and like, be nice to the Loch-Ness monster. ("Don't _call_ her that! Please Leah, can you please get to know my imprint? Everyone loves her, I'm sure you will too.) Ugh, Jake can be insufferable sometimes. He even wants her to be nice to Bella and Rosalie. Jesus fucking Christ, Leah isn't Mother Theresa. She can't just magically unhate them.

After a several minutes of angry thoughts and hesitation, Leah finally phases back into a human. She quickly shrugs on a sports bar and crop top. She has to sniff around until she finds a pair of sweatpants, two sizes too big, laying on a tree branch. She shrugs them on and pulls the drawstring as tight as she can.

Cold rain falls on Leah's one bare shoulder and it cools her. She carefully arrangers her shoulder length black locks and knocks-ready to face Sam.

Instead, Emily swings open the door. She has a big smile on her face as she does so and is holding a pile of baby clothes in one hand.

They fall to the floor when Emily's eyes land on Leah imposing figure. Her lips turn down just a little.

"Oh! Leah!" She quickly bends at the waist, her swollen belly hindering the process. "D-Didn't expect to see you here."

"I'm sure," Leah responds, watching her struggle for a second. "Let me get it," Leah stops her seconds later, lightly pushing Emily's shoulder so she can stand up straight. Leach doesn't want her to go into premature labor on her account. She picks up pink and yellow onesies, almost smiling at the cuteness despite herself. "A girl?" She whispers, putting the outfits back into her cousin's waiting hands.

"Y-yeah," Emily smiles softly back, then glances down at her stomach. "Do you...do you wanna..."

"No! no..." Leah says a little bit too quickly, turning down Emily's offer to touch her stomach. If Emily is offended, she doesn't look it.

"Come in, get out of the rain. I don't want you to get sick," Sam's imprint mumbles awkwardly. They both know that Leah won't but Emily ushers her inside, ignoring Leah's hesitant look.

"I'm actually here to talk to Sam," Leah says, watching Emily's face change to guarded and controlled.

"He's not here right now," Emily turns away from her, "But I believe he'll be back in ten to twenty minutes."

"Okay." Leah plops down on their couch without asking permission. She figures that she'll probably never have to enter this house again, better make the best of it. "I'll wait."

Emily makes a non-committed sound in the back of her throat but quickly covers it with a cough. Leah just smiles thinly.

"So, how far along are you anyway?"

"Oh! Um.." Emily sounds surprised as if she hadn't expected Leah to inquire. "about five and a half months."

"Any names yet?"

"We were thinking about Maya."

"Mmm," Leah hums, surprised. When she was young and stupid, she had considered Maya as a baby name. Way back when, when her dreams were filled with him and only him for days on end. "Maya Uley." She smiles but it hurts. Years ago Maya Uley had sounded like her future daughter, not someone else's.

She watches Emily smile that same smile she once had. Except Emily's smile is so much brighter, because her dreams are reality. Leah's are nightmares; they are dead and they are gone and she caused it. Emily caused it.

As if sensing Leah's sudden emotional plummet, Emily turns away, wiping the content smile from her lips. Leah watches Emily busy herself with laundry and other housewife things. That's the difference between Emily and her. Emily is the perfect housewife, Leah can barely pour a bowl of cereal without fucking it up.

"I'm home," His voice comes, strong and sure. Sam appears around the corner seconds later, a smile in place.

Emily sets down the underpants and meets Sam at the door, greeting him with a kiss. Sam wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her against him harder, his face in her neck as if the imprint is completely diminishing all self control and awareness of his environment.

Imprints are disgusting, Leah decides. She definitely did not imprint on that vampire and that's a fact. She was probably delirious from all the emotions of that day.

Eventually Emily pushes his shoulder, pink making an appearance against her already browned cheeks. "Honey, we have a guest."

Sam looks up, surprised, it's as if all his superior wolf senses have failed him just because he has laid eyes on her cousin. Leah has to roll her eyes. Sam's big hands fall from Emily's waist as he stares at Leah. She sees the conflict there and wishes she hadn't.

_It's been a year, Sam. It's been a year, please let me go. Just let me go already._

She hates him, and she cannot take his conflicted gazes anymore. She cannot take his occasional hot stares and then quick bursts of anger as his imprint diseased mind takes his treacherous thoughts out on her. She cannot understand the fact that when he touches her, her skin _still_ tingles as if it still remembers him when she wants to forget _so much. _She hates him she hates him but she hates herself more.

"Oh look who decided to show up," Sam finally says, his voice like steel. "Where were you when you were supposed to be patrolling?"

Leah stands swiftly, "Yeah that's what I wanted to talk to you about." She walks up to stand in front of the happy couple, "I'm not apart of you pack anymore, Sam."

Sam's face is carefully controlled but his shaking fists reveal his anger. He turns to his imprint, his face softening at her concerned but scarred face, "Em, we're going to talk outside."

With that, Sam storms out the door leaving Leah to follow like some type of damned lapdog. She exits with an equal amount of venom. "What I'm not good enough to talk to inside your house?"

"I didn't want to upset Em." He growls back.

"Emily's a big girl, she can handle herself." Leah crosses her arms, "What do you want?"

"What gives you the right to just leave?" Sam paces in front of her, "I punish you once and you decide you can't deal with having rules?"

Leah rolls her eyes, "That's hardly why I switched packs."

"Did it ever occur to you to ask permission first?"

"No?" Leah stares at him, annoyed. "Who the fuck are you? You're not even _supposed_ to be a pack leader, what makes you think I need your permission?"

"And you're not supposed to be a wolf in the first place but here we are," Sam growls as if it's her fault that she happens to be female.

"I mean if you wanna go there, _none_ of us are supposed to be wolves, _but here the fuck we are_ you dickhead!"

Sam pauses to look at her. He looks at her so long that her skin starts to crawl and she turns away, annoyed. "You're leaving because of me, aren't you?"

"Congratulations, it only took you a year to figure it out," Leah ignores the wounded look in his eyes. What right does he have to be hurt? He's lost nothing; gained everything. She turns away again, this time really leaving.

She has to stop when a big hand closes around her forearm, "Leah, wait."

"No Sam!" She yanks her arm out his grip. "I _have_ waited for you! I waited for you when you had to make a choice. You chose _her_ and I let you go! I let you go as much as I could, but now you seem to be the one holding on, _please_ let me fucking go Sam!" She turns around and faces him, regretting it the moment she looks into his eyes, "Because I'm stuck, Sam! I can't move, I can't _breathe_ being in your fucking pack with all your looks and your apologies like you haven't already taken everything I could ever give to you."

Leah bites her lip, almost drawing blood, but this time when she looks at him, resolve shines in her eyes. "I need space from you. I'm done hurting."

"Leah," His voice sounds the way it had when he had first discovered his imprint. He reaches a hand out but doesn't touch her. "How can I make it okay between us?"

"You can't." She turns away, "Go be with your imprint, Sam."

She doesn't look back this time, instead she phases in front of him, knowing that he is watching her clothes shred and her body transform into a beautiful beast; all gray and majestic. She knows that he is watching her as she runs from his house; knows that he is watching her leave his life forever.

**an. whew! This chapter took forever for some reason, it's not even that long!**

**I know I said Emily was pregnant in an earlier chapter but I did not make it seem like she was that far along. My bad.**

**Anwayyys review please! Keep me inspired c:**

**Benjamin in the next chapter again c:**


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